With a record 56 teams signed up, innovation, energy and the future of navigation are set to converge on the 2026 Monaco Energy Boat Challenge
MONACO, June 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With just weeks to go before the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (8-11 July 2026), Yacht Club de Monaco has finalised its Open Sea Xperience registrations, a category for ready-to-roll CE-certified zero emission boats. A showcase for sustainable boating, this year the category expects 16 teams to take up the challenge. In total for the 2026 edition, 56 teams representing 22 nations are registered, a record since the event launched in 2014. A university from the United States will be present, as will a delegation from China. There are four categories in total: Energy Class, AI Class for pilotless / autonomous prototypes, SeaLab Class and Open Sea Xperience.
Organised under the aegis of the ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ initiative, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge continues to go from strength to strength, attracting students, engineers, industry players and shipyards with one overriding goal: to accelerate the maritime industry’s energy transition. Supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, UBS, BMW and SBM Offshore, it brings together key players in the sector including Safe Harbor, Oceanco, Ferretti Group, Azimut | Benetti Group and Lürssen. “The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is an opportunity to put ideas into practice. Here, teams can test technologies in real-world conditions, exchange ideas with the industry, and share their experiences. It is this hands on approach that brings so much added value to the event,” says Bernard d’Alessandri, Director and General Secretary of the Yacht Club de Monaco.
Open Sea Xperience: from prototype to application in real-world conditions
Conceived to be a bridge between experimentation and commercial application, the Open Sea Xperience is one of the most strategic of the categories at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge. It is an opportunity for shipyards and brands involved in the transition to zero-emission to test their boats on the sea, in an environment where performance, autonomy, speed and energy efficiency confront operational constraints.
The 2026 edition will gather electric and hydrogen-powered models demonstrating the rapid evolution of alternative propulsion technologies. Among projects expected are the Wia 520HT from Wia Electric Yachts, a 16-metre 100% electric yacht designed for quiet long distance cruising; and solutions developed by Weenav related to its KRONOS 300 engine capable of delivering more than 300hp continuously. The category also highlights new approaches to solar propulsion, electric jet engines and autonomous navigation such as the projects presented by Elvene, ZeroJet and Valkama Watercrafts. The boats participating in the Open Sea Xperience will be on display and freely accessible to the public, offering a tangible insight into the latest zero emission solutions available on the market.
2025 winners honoured at Monaco E-Prix
Weeks before the 2026 edition kicks-off, tribute was paid at the Monaco E-Prix to the Italians in the UniBoAT – University of Bologna Argonauts Team, winners of the 2025 Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, alongside UAntwerp Solar Boat Team - University of Antwerp, who won the AI Class, and Red Wave – University of Bologna - Alma Mater Studiorum who won the SeaLab Class. Their attendance at this other flagship event for electric mobility in Monaco proves that more connections are being forged between automobile and maritime innovation in the decarbonized field. In the Energy Class, the Italians dominated winning the slalom and endurance events, the innovation and design prizes, and sharing the speed record with Elettra UniGe – Università di Genova. A highly sophisticated approach that included optimised propulsion to maximise manoeuvrability, a high-performance battery and lighter boat, fine-tuned transmission, and development in-house of a counter rotating motor resulting in exceptional efficiency impressed the jury.
An event with international impact
Since its launch in 2014, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is now recognised as a major international event focused on clean maritime propulsion technologies. In the last 12 editions, 6,500-plus students from 50 universities have participated in 400 teams representing 35 nationalities. This diversity is key to the event’s success in contributing to the emergence of an ecosystem of applicable innovation, one where experimentation, knowledge sharing and global collaboration support the evolution of sustainable yachting. Among major players supporting the event is Safe Harbor. “With the Yacht Club de Monaco, we are committed to promoting a more sustainable vision for yachting,” says Tanguy Ducros, Senior Vice President, Business Development Europe at Safe Harbor. “The ocean is our shared responsibility. Protecting it means promoting responsible practices and inspiring collective change for a better future.”
A diverse programme ashore as at sea
Alongside the sports aspect at sea, with the endurance, speed and slalom events and the Championship, the programme includes several highlights ashore:
• Advanced Yachting Technology Conference on Thursday 9 July, focused on technology awareness for the maritime and yachting industries through a forward-looking programme dedicated to innovation and advanced state-of-the-art technologies.
• 7th Alternative Fuels & Sustainable Yachting Conference on Friday 10 July organised by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The theme this year is an objective analysis of the potential of alternative fuels like nuclear propulsion and its implications for yachting’s future, wind power as a solution, methanol and its current role, and the latest advances in battery systems and electric power. (Conferences open to all on registration). At the same time technology demos such as the simulator, paddocks open to the public, and meetings between students and industry players are also on the programme.
An exchange platform for students and the industry
Since its launch, sharing knowledge between generations has been at the heart of the event’s DNA. Teams are invited to present their projects in open source at Tech Talks and discuss them with an International Jury to promote advanced technologies outside of the sea trials. All benefit from the unique ecosystem assembled of students, alumni, researchers and industry professionals. The Corporate Mentoring Programme is a chance for industry players to support teams year-round to develop their projects, while the Job Forum puts young engineers in contact with maritime and yacht-related companies. This approach is helping to bring on a new generation of talent committed to sustainable maritime mobility.
The diversity of technology and a wide-ranging indepth programme underpins the transformation of this event: from a student gathering focused on solar energy a decade ago it has become an international platform for demonstrating technologies of the future on a bigger scale.
Stats for 2026
• 56 international teams, 34 universities, 22 nationalities
• More than a 1,000 students involved
• 49 electric projects
• 6 hydrogen projects
• 1 methanol project
• 10 projects using foils
For more information:
Press Office LaPresse - ufficio.stampa@lapresse.it
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cd8a1139-4531-4e52-b233-c68a5d5e7f6a